Dutch government collapses over Afghan mission - AP

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

Hopefully, this will send a message to more politicians in Europe and America that supporting a lost war is a loser.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100220/ap_on_re_eu/eu_netherlands_afghanistan

AMSTERDAM – The Dutch coalition government collapsed Saturday over irreconcilable differences on whether to extend the Netherlands' military mission in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende announced that the second largest party in his three-party alliance is quitting, in a breakdown of trust in what had always been an uneasy partnership.

The political outcome also left uncertainty over the fate of the 1,600 Dutch soldiers in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan, where they were deployed in 2006 for a two-year stint that was extended until next August.

Labor demanded that Dutch troops leave Uruzgan as scheduled. Balkenende's Christian Democratic Alliance wanted to keep a trimmed down military presence in the restive province, where 21 soldiers have been killed.

"A plan was agreed to when our soldiers went to Afghanistan," said Labor Party leader Wouter Bos. "Our partners in the government didn't want to stick to that plan, and on the basis of their refusal we have decided to resign from this government."

[G_j]

1. wow

serious business, From what I understand, the war is not too popular in the UK either.

here, nobody notices..

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Methinks, a lot of members of various parliaments have wet armpits at this news.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. kick

[flyarm]

4. kick!! and R!!! wow...n/t

[Selatius]

5. In the US, if the ruling coalition fucks over its own members, they simply take the abuse.

Then we get treated to the cries of party unity or the other party wins routine. Of course, the US system is set up to prefer this outcome vs. a situation where coalition members can leave, provoking a new election where the leadership can face the possibility of being sacked by the people.

[EFerrari]

6. Good.

K&R

[nemo137]

7. I think that's more of a reflection on the nature of parliamentary democracy than a sea-change

in how governments operate. It's extremely unlikely to be repeated here,

[leftstreet]

8. K&R

[Betty Karlson]

9. A few corrections

1) The reason the Dutch Christian-Democrats were considering to stay longer is that OBAMA asked them to, and that the NATO chief (Rasmussen) had filed a similar request. That request had not been filed in 2007, when the deadline for the present commitemnt mission had been set.

2) both Christian Democratic parties are angry that Labour wanted to stick to the deadline in spite of new developments. They feel new options should at least have been considered. But Labour felt they had to make up for their falling poll numbers in the upcoming municipal elections. And that's why the cabinet broke.

3) There is no uncertainty over the 1600 soldiers in Afghanistan, because the two remaining coalition parties will be considered a demissionary cabinet. The Dutch consitution forbids demissionary cabinets to make any decisions on which there is not a large consensus. That means: no new decisions on Afghanistan missions. And taking into account that new elections will be had in three months time, and then it will take another three months to put together a new coalition (if not more), the deadline of the current mission will expire before any new commitment can be made. As such, the present dealine has become the de facto decision on the date of withdrawal.

4) The Dutch will not withdraw from a fighting mission, they were on a reconstruction mission. That's why the Minister for International Aid had a responsability for this mission equal to the one of the Defense Minister. They were keeping the peace in Uruzgan, rather than bombing people out of their homes. Not all Dutch are happy to abandon such a mission when there is no suitable replacement. And Labour may well have to pay for catering to their base at the expense of the people in Uruzgan.

5) Dutch national television emitted an interview emitted an interview with the parents of one of the twenty-two dead soldiers. (Not 21.) These people said, they feared all their son's sacrifices would be in vain, now that the mission was so hastily abandoned.

[G_j]

10. bump